Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices are widely used in electronic apparatuses such as a monitor, a projector, a mobile phone, and a personal digital assistant (PDA) by utilizing their characteristics such as slim-profile, lightweight, and low-power-consumption characteristics. As such LCD devices, transmissive LCD devices, reflective LCD devices, transflective LCD devices (reflective-transmissive LCD devices), and the like are known. Transmissive LCD devices perform display by using light emitted from the back side, such as light from a backlight that is provided on the back side of an LCD panel. The light is introduced into the LCD panel from the back side and then emitted. Reflective LCD devices perform display by using light incident from the front side (viewing side) such as ambient light and light from a frontlight. The light is introduced into an LCD panel from the front side and then reflected. Transflective LCD devices perform transmissive display by using light from the back side in relatively dark environments such as indoor environments, and perform reflection display by using light from the front side in relatively bright environments such as outdoor environments. That is, the transflective LCD devices have a feature of reflective LCD devices in which excellent visibility is provided in bright environments and a feature of transmissive LCD devices in which excellent visibility is provided in dark environments.
Multi-domain vertical alignment LCD (hereinafter, referred to simply as an MVA-LCD) devices are also known as an LCD device including vertically aligned liquid crystals with negative dielectric anisotropy and a structure for alignment control such as banks (linear projections) on a substrate and/or electrode-free parts (slits).
With respect to such MVA LCD devices, Patent Document 1 discloses the following MVA-LCD device in which slit-like aperture parts in an electrode and/or dielectric protruding members on an electrode are disposed as an alignment control means for liquid crystals in each of a region (transmission region) contributing to transmissive display and a region (reflection region) contributing to reflection display. In such a device, the aperture parts are formed in such a configuration that the area of the aperture parts in the reflection region and/or the area of the protruding members in the planar direction of the substrate in the reflection region are larger than the area of the apertures in the transmission region and/or the area of the protruding members in the planar direction of the substrate, whereby a voltage becomes less likely to be applied to an LC layer in the reflection region, which allows electrooptics characteristics identical between the reflection display and the transmissive display.
However, in the MVA-LCD devices, the regions where the alignment control technique such as the aperture parts and the protruding members are arranged cause a reduction in an aperture ratio, which results in low white luminance and dark display. In this aspect, the MVA-LCD devices need to be improved.
In contrast to this, a technology for providing a pretilt angle using a polymer is known as a method for controlling alignment of liquid crystals without using the alignment control means such as the apertures or the protruding members, as disclosed in Patent Document 2. According to the technology for providing a pretilt angle using a polymer, a liquid crystal composition prepared by mixing a polymerizable component such as a monomer and an oligomer to liquid crystals is encapsulated between substrates, and the polymerizable component is then polymerized under the condition that liquid crystal molecules are tilted by applying a voltage between the substrates. Thus, an LC layer that makes LC molecules tilt (incline) in a given direction by voltage application can be provided. FIG. 4 in Patent Document 2 discloses an LCD device including stripe electrodes in which the width thereof is 3 μm and the width of a space between the adjacent stripe electrodes is 3 μm.    [Patent Document 1]
Japanese Kokai Publication No. 2004-198920    [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Kokai Publication No. 2003-149647